Red Planet: The Slave Queen (Tamarians Book 1)

by Jessica Snow

  It's the drugs, a voice in my mind whispers out of somewhere I don't recognize right this moment, and I blink, still smiling as Mother lets me up. I climb out of bed, and she has servants ready to dress me already. I don't know them, they are Mother's slaves, young human women who are busty, overly sexualized pieces of meat that are good for nothing more than perhaps draining my balls in... if I'm given permission.

  It's the drugs, the voice whispers again. Remember your education.

  “Mother,” I ask, after I fasten my collar and slide my feet into the shoes that Mother wants me to wear, “would it be okay if I visited Father? I haven't had a chance to see him since coming home.”

  Mother smiles, nodding. “Of course, my sweet. Your father is in his quarters; you can see him any time you'd like. Now, I have a meeting with the Noble Council, Joren is still not up to trying to resume his duties, after the terrible injury he had. So today, enjoy being able to exercise, and talk with Joren. By the way, tomorrow I'm going to have Neyilla over for dinner, won't that be nice?”

  It all clicks, and I am glad that Mogar's taught me my memory estate, because it allows me to keep the same vapid smile on my face even as inside I'm ready to spring across the room and slap Mother right across the face. “Yes Mother, that would be wonderful. And Mother.... about Neyilla....”

  “Yes, my sweet?” Mother asks, and I identify that the words 'my sweet' are being used by her as a trigger phrase, reinforcing the mental conditioning that she's been subjecting me to. Thankfully, she's put too much faith in the drugs, and not enough in my ability to resist them.

  “Would you please tell Neyilla today that I would like to have some private time with her tomorrow night?” I ask, falsely embarrassed. “Um, just her and me?”

  It's all a ruse, meant to throw off Mother, and she falls for it perfectly, her sharp smile growing as I can practically see her rubbing her hands together in glee. “Yes, I think Neyilla will be happy to find time in her schedule for that. If you didn't know, Lord Neyton died two days ago, a tragic accident. She'll be in mourning, but I think you probably know how to cheer her up. Such a shame, Neyton will be missed by all.”

  “Neyton died? But how?” I ask, genuinely surprised. “I thought he'd outlive us all, he took so many of the anti-aging drugs.”

  Mother nods, and comes close, shaking my control of myself, but she doesn't notice. “The official story is that he had a bit too much wine, and tripped over his scholar's robe while going to admire the moon. Unofficially, what I'm hearing is that he was naked when he hit the stones below his balcony, his room doesn't face the moon anyway, and there was a chained up slave in the room when he went over the edge. One of Neyilla's actually, a girl named Audra. You knew her, yes?”

  I fake a shiver of disgust, nodding. “Sadly, Mother. Please pass along my condolences to Lady Neyilla, then. I shall have something for her that I hope will cheer her up, perhaps. Uh, Lord Neyton, I hope he didn't, uh you know....”

  “Fuck the human?” Mother asks with a laugh. “I doubt it, from what I hear, he wasn't up in the room that long, even for him. Why, does that bother you?”

  “Yes!” I exclaim, but not for the reason Mother thinks. “To think, that disgusting human.... what a sad way for a great man like Neyton to die. Again, my condolences to Neyilla.”

  Mother smiles and leaves, most of her servants following her. Two stay behind, one man and one woman, and I can tell by looking in their faces that not only are they totally loyal to Mother, they are the kind that the Resistance humans looked down on the most, the ones who as loyal to their Tamarian masters as any other house pet. Staying with an owner out of fear can at least be understood, to stay out of love in the rare instance that it could happen, that can perhaps even be admired, especially if both sides allow freedom during it. But to stay even as you're treated the way Mother treats her slaves? Sad, really.

  Still, I know I have to be on my guard, and I go to my exercise room, the two slaves following at a discreet distance while I strip down to just my pants and go through a workout. Mother doesn't realize, so the slaves don't realize, that exercise helps me fight off the drugs. Once the drugs are in my system, especially ones like hypnotics, the best way to get through them is to flush them from my system as quickly as possible, while avoiding stimulation of the areas that Mother wants to train me to.

  So I drink water, more water than is perhaps healthy or needed as I climb Heaven's Ladder, crawling up the inclined bars that keep moving for minute after minute, sweat pouring down my body as I use nearly every muscle, flushing them with blood that is then filtered as it goes through my liver and kidneys, the drugs being metabolized faster. The faster my heart rate goes, the faster the drugs leave my system. Twice I have to stop and urinate, but the slaves don't mind, and when I finish an hour later, I'm gasping for breath, sweating freely, and still needing to pee again.

  But more importantly, from the first step I took on the ladder, I've been in the safe rooms of my memory estate. Fine Mother, pump me full of your drugs, trying to make me believe the lies in your words. I can't stop that, just like I can't quite stop the attraction I'm attaching to diamond shapes, even if I can recognize it. But while the drug is in me, I can retreat into my safe rooms, reinforcing the love I have for Audra, the bond I feel for Jensen, and the knowledge that I have a baby on the way, a baby that is half human, half Tamarian. I hypnotize myself just as effectively as Mother's conditioning, and while I'll have to put myself through my own personal torture when this ends, dismantling Mother's conditioning brick by brick before my mind snaps in two from the dueling systems being built inside, it helps for now. I plant a word in there as well, deep in my safe area.... sky blue. Like Audra's eyes. Maybe my baby's. Mogar, if he's still alive, will be so surprised to hear about it.

  I take a towel from one of the slaves and wipe myself off, handing it back before going to pee again. When I come back, the slaves are waiting for me. “I'd like to see King Joren.... and if possible, I'd like to visit the traitor, Mogar.”

  The servants nod, deferring to my wishes since Mother did not tell them I couldn't see Mogar. Sure, she'll hear about it later, but I can control that. I put my shirt back on, the one Mother picked out for me that I already know I hate, it's far too fashionable and frilly for me, but I deal with it as the servants lead me through the palace to Father's chambers, opening the door and letting me inside.

  “Go away!” Father yells, but I ignore him, even as the servants retreat. I walk deeper into his shadowed chambers, finding him sitting at the same desk that I remember him sitting at when I was a child, going over reports from the different provinces. That was before the sex slaves, before Neyton's hypnotics, before the corruption sank its claws too deep into the government.

  “Father.... it's me,” I say softly, sitting down. Father looks up, his face twisted in pain for a moment before he sits back, regaining his composure.

  “Tauren. Tauria said that your.... rehabilitation has been progressing nicely,” Father says, setting aside the flexi that he's been reading. I can see the display a little bit, he's been reading our family tree. “How are you feeling?”

  “Different,” I say carefully. “Mother's... vitamins have had interesting effects.”

  “I bet they have. You know she's been taking them for years as well?” Father muses. “Neyton introduced them to her, right before things seemed to start spiraling out of control.”

  “It's not too late, Father. You are still King,” I note. “Did you hear about Neyton?”

  “I did,” Father says, relief and sadness mixing in his voice. “He was a brilliant man. His presence will be missed.”

  I say nothing, I cannot trust myself to be able to lie that much about Neyton, so instead I wait for Father to continue. Finally, he sighs, and reaches down unconsciously, cupping his balls. “You know, I can't feel a thing different about me?”

  “The doctors are sure, though?”

  Father nods. “They're as dead as winter leaves.
Oh, the doctors say in some ways I'll be healthier, my risk of certain cancers has been reduced, there's less stress on my body.... but I feel incomplete somehow. It's like I haven't quite accepted the fact that even if I can get it up any longer, even if your mother were willing.... it's just a waste of time anymore.”

  I shift around, I think any man would when thinking about testicles not being functional any longer, but Father doesn't notice. “Do you hate them, Father? For what they did to you?”

  Father thinks for a long time, then shows me the flexi. “You know that before you were born, I had a brother?”

  “I read the tree, Father. Uncle Jarel. He would have been Crown Prince, but he died before you took the throne.”

  Father nods, humming. “Jarel always was a rebel, I sometimes think you get that from him, like his spirit or essence or something was unwilling to let go, so he just decided to be reborn in you. He died on an exoplanetary trip, checking out Moon Base Beta. The initial reports said that he died when the human with him... well, rebelled. I was so angry.... so angry. When Neyton came to me with his idea of perfect control of the humans, I thought it was a great idea. No more rebellions, no more worries about troublesome slaves, just.... humans getting what they deserved for killing Jarel. The side benefits.... I'll admit I've taken a few human women into my bed.”

  “I know. I do not hold it against you, Father.” Especially since I love Audra, and she's as human as they come. I don't like that you took them in against their will, but I don't hate you for the women.

  Father chuckles. “Some people, old fashioned ones, would, even if that has been the style of nobility since... well, for as long as I have cared to research. I can play the blame game between me and Tauria as to who did what with the slaves first, but... after twenty-seven years, it doesn't really matter. You were nine when I had my first human woman. And you ask me if I hate them?”

  I nod, and Father shakes his head, his face haggard and drawn, tired. “No, not anymore. When I was in the shuttle, I saw the anger and hatred in their eyes, the men who injected me. It was the same hatred I saw in my own eyes after Jaren's death. But more than that, I saw the hurt in their eyes, as each of them told me what had been done to them. Each of them, all of them, had done to them what they did to me. I.... I'm angry, but I'm not sure if I hate them, my son. I'm not sure.”

  It's moving, listening to Father, and I'm tempted to explain. Instead, I nod, knowing that for a while at least, I have to pretend to be someone I am not. “I see. If you do not object, I will go see Mogar. I know that he must be tried for treason, but still, I have affection for him, and he was my teacher. I would see that he has at least a little dignity and respect.”

  Father nods, waving his hand. “As you wish. I had him moved from Brandeis to Arklan, it should be easier for you to see him that way. If it would be no trouble to you later, Tauren.... would you visit with an old man again?”

  I look, and despite the hard feeling, despite the years of having to deal with the corruption around him, and despite knowing what he's done, he's still my father. “You are hardly old, Father. But yes... I'd like that.”

  Arklan Prison has been in use since even before my family took the throne, and the building is even older, with parts of it being over a thousand years old. The construction reflects it, built during a time that Tamaria was exploring ancient building techniques, with walls hewn out of native stone nearby, and built before the walls were coated in a clearcrete sealing that makes the whole structure look like it grew from the land around it. A hundred kilometers outside the capital, I land my transport, Mother's slaves staying with me as I enter.

  I shiver as I cross the threshold, knowing that if it wasn't for Mathias' maiming of Father, I'd be here too, probably right next to Mogar as I awaited either spending the rest of my life in prison, or the death penalty once another heir was made. Still, I know that I'm as much a prisoner as my former teacher, the only real difference being I just might have a greater chance of escape.

  “The prisoner is in the isolation wing,” the warden says as he leads me down from the landing platform. “Will His Highness need protection?”

  “No, but I am sure that the Queen will appreciate if my assistants can be nearby. I have not yet fully recovered from my ordeal, and they are here to ensure my health,” I say, falling back on the cover story that Mother has put out about my absence and return. My kidnapping was public record, and while the news feeds are filled with news of my 'rescue,' I've been officially recovering before reassuming public duties.

  “Of course Your Highness,” the warden says. “We will use the visitor's center, there is an outdoor table that you can sit at. The prisoner will be brought to you.”

  I'm escorted to a wide yard where a half dozen tables have been arranged. My escorts take up discreet but still visible positions a few tables away while I sit, waiting for the guards to bring Mogar. I don't have to wait long, as three guards come in, carrying Mogar between them. He can barely sit up as they dump him on the bench of the table before sitting down in the other unoccupied corners of the yard, seemingly uninterested in what we have to say, but I know that at least one other person is listening in with some sort of listening device.

  Mogar looks like he's aged nearly a decade in just a few days, with greater bands of grayish-white around his temples, and the lines around his eyes are deeper than ever. “Tauren.... you look....”

  “Better than you, my teacher,” I reply, reaching out and taking his hands. I get up and shift around the table to sit next to him, letting him lean against me as he needs. “You have had a difficult time.”

  “Stripped of estate and title.... imprisoned, tortured... yes, I've had much better weeks,” Mogar says, his voice papery but still there is that Mogar sense of humor beneath it all. “You are dressing more fashionably.”

  “Mother feels that a good sense of fashion is a vital part of my rehabilitation,” I tell him. “As are good... attendants.”

  Mogar glances over, nodding in understanding. He puts his hands on the table, lifting both thumbs in a method that we haven't used in years. In fact, he's taking a risk in even trying this with me, a method of talking with our fingers that he had me study as an example of alternative communication methods. Are you being tortured?

  While Mogar talks with his fingers, his mouth says something totally different. “I do hope you recover your health quickly, Tauren. They may call me a traitor, but you are still someone I care for.”

  Mother is trying hypnotics on me. Thankfully, someone's taught me about a memory estate. What about you? “I appreciate your concern, Mogar. Tell me, has anyone told you what will happen?”

  Drugs mostly, some beatings. They can't risk permanent injury yet, not until they can trot me out for the public confession. My memory estate is getting quite a few visits as well. “Not yet. I am hoping that King Joren sees fit to grant me mercy. I have admitted fully to helping the Resistance.”

  I need your help with one thing. A trigger word. “Father has been quite merciful with me. I think he will not forget all the years of loyalty you gave him as well. He is a good King.”

  What word? “That is my hope and prayer.”

  Sky blue. “Mother is currently watching the Noble Council while Father recovers. He has been greatly injured, Mogar. Give him some time to recover. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help make your time more.... comfortable?”

  Sky blue. I will remember it. “I doubt I will receive any mercy, but if you could ask Queen Tauria for some of my books, I would appreciate it. And chocolate.”

  I smile, and pat my teacher on the hand. “Books I am sure we can arrange. Chocolate.... well, don't hold your breath.”

  Mogar comically takes a deep breath and puffs out his cheeks, holding it ridiculously until he lets it out in a huff, like a small child, and I chuckle. “I must be going. Mother is having Lady Neyilla come over for dinner tomorrow night. If you haven't heard, Lord Neyton died. He fell off his bal
cony.”

  “Then you should prepare for Lady Neyilla. Thank you for your visit, my former student. Be... be well.”

  I stand up, and it's hard to walk away from Mogar, who slumps slightly as I start to go. At the door, I pause and look back, but the guards haven't dragged him out of the seat yet. I let my attendants lead me back towards the administration offices, where the warden is waiting for me. “Satisfied, Your Highness?”

  I nod, even if what I want to do is shove a powerlance up the man's ass and push the trigger. “Mogar looks like he is unused to the rigors of prison. While I understand you cannot do a lot, if you could pamper him a little, it would be a personal favor to me. And, he requested some books. If I have someone send books here, would you please make sure they reach him?”

  “If they are not against the rules, Prince Tauren, I will personally ensure he gets them.”

  He's mostly lying to me, I can see it in his eyes, but there's a little glimmer in there that says that he is measuring the chances of my potential ascent to power. If I do gain power in the future, and Mogar's mistreatment continues, what is the risk to him? Hopefully, it will at least tone down some of the torture that Mogar's undergoing. It's all I can do right now.

  I get back in the shuttle, my two attendants strapping in while I take the controls. “Shall we return to the palace, sire?”

  “Yes, we shall. I'm sure Mother is anticipating our return,” I reply with a false glibness, lifting off. An hour, maybe a little more if I put the shuttle in cruise mode. An hour in my memory estate.... where Audra's waiting for me. I can't see her in person yet, but at least in my mind, she's there, her red hair flaming with happiness to see me.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Audra

  “So you'll serve me again,” Neyilla says, unlocking me from the di-car cable. It wasn't just overnight, but she left me cabled to the wall in Neyton's bed chambers for a full day and a half, only having servants come by twice to make sure that I was alive. After no food, no water, no clothing and precious little sleep, I'm barely able to remain standing as she unfastens the cable and takes it in her hand. “I think we'll build a good relationship... in time.”